Soru to Ningyo (Dolls with Souls)
by Camilla d'Rang
Summary: This is the story of a young girl named Olivia and how her life is changed forever all because of a chance encounter. But is it really chance? The cloaked men behind the scenes leave this question up for debate. Yaoi/BL/Boy x Boy(Sort of ,the yaoi pairings are genderbent) Mild language.
1. Prologue

ソルと人形

Soru to Ningyo

Prologue

It was a beautiful summer day, just near the edge of autumn. The sky was perfectly cloudless and, since it was Sunday there was no school, this was the perfect time for little kids to be frolicking around."I'm off to work," said a tall, tan man with mahogany hair and crimson eyes, waving to two others standing in a door frame, his little girl and wife. "See you honey! Have a safe trip!" a short female replied, her violet eyes sparkling in the warm summer sun, the rays of light enhancing her beautiful golden hair and glinting off her glasses. "Bye Papa!" said the little girl standing next to the older woman. Her Papa had to work Sundays through Wednesdays, but the thirteen-year-old didn't mind. She had plenty of time to play with him! Her long, reddish-brown hair was tied up on either side of her head in high pig-tails. She had clear, icy-blue eyes that she often got teased for, as they were unnaturally bright. The older woman closed the door after ushering her daughter in. They lived in a large, two story house with three bedrooms and two baths. The entryway the two just entered had a Victorian feel to it, with a beautiful hand-stitched rug next to the door, cherry wood tables on either side of them, and a grand piano off to the left. The walls were wallpapered with a deep red colored, flowering paper. Near the piano on the wall sat two large paintings. One was of a girl with blonde hair, emerald eyes and glasses, sitting on a chair staring straight forward, a lost look in her eyes. The other was a picture of many dolls, all differing in height and looks, one looking like the girl in the first picture. "Mama, when can we go to the park?" the little girl stared at her mother with endearing puppy-dog eyes. "Not today honey, Mama's got work to do." "Oh, okay...Can I go play in the basement then?" Her mother looked puzzled. "Whatever would you find interesting down there?" A light blush found its way onto her pale skin as she looked at the floor. "Oh, I find lots of interesting things down there." The blonde sighed and set off to the right for the laundry room. "Go ahead, just don't get yourself hurt." "Okay!" the excited girl happily replied. There was something special down in that basement, she just knew it.

This is the story of a young girl named Olivia and how her life is changed forever all because of a chance encounter. But is it really chance? The cloaked men behind the scenes leave this question up for debate.

~Time skip~

-Scene Change-

~-Time Skip and Scene Change-~

_Thoughts_

_**Singing**_

**_WARNING: NOT HISTORICALLY CORRECT...IN SO MANY WAYS_**

**_Inspired by the song "Old Doll" from Mad Father. This doesn't follow the Mad Father story line, like previously stated, it was inspired by the song, and only the song._**

**_Shippings and ages:_**

******_Parents:_**

**_2p!America (Allen)[29] x 2p!Fem!Canada (Margaret)[28] [Minor ,they don't show up much in here, Olivia's parents, also yes, because of Olivia's age, she was born when Margaret was only 15]_**

**_1p!South Korea (Im Young)[36] x 1p!Fem!China (Chun)[35] [Minor ,they don't show up much in here, Xiao and Ming Yue's parents]_**

**_1p!Spain (Antonio)[37] x 1p!Fem!Romano (Lovina)[35] [Minor ,they don't show up much in here, Flavio's parents, Don't ask.]_**

******_Main cast (Kids):_**

**_1p!America (Alfred)[16] x 1p!Fem!England (Alice)_**

**_2p!Romano (Flavio)[15] x 2p!Fem!Italy (Luciana)_**

**_2p!China (Xiao)[14] x 2p!Fem!Russia (Yana)_**

**_2p!Fem!Prussia (Gilda)[15] x 2p!Fem!Germany (Monica)_**

**_2p!Taiwan (Ming Yue)[14] x 2p!Hong Kong (Tai Yang)_**

**_Gilda has no parents, by the way...Also, Luciana, Yana, Monica, and Tai Yang are all dolls just like Alice. So they don't remember their ages, and they don't have parents. Well, they did at one time...Ohhh, spoilers XD_**

**_There will be more pairings later on. Also, if you don't like complicated stories I suggest you hit the back button. This will be a long and complicated story! X3_**

**_Olivia has an older brother (Alfred) and a younger brother (Peter)._**

**_Tell me if you guys want more! I'm almost done with chapter 1! :3 Reviews make me happy ^_^_**


	2. The Dolls

Lucky you guys! I finished the first chapter already! Don't get used to it, though, I have school to do *le shot*

By the way: Olivia =2p!Fem!England

Xiao=2p!China

Ming Yue=2p!Taiwan

Flavio=2p!Romano

Alice=1p!Fem!England

2p!America and 2p!Fem!Canada are Olivia's parents.

Enjoy the story!

ソルと人形

Soru to Ningyo

Chapter 1 The Dolls

The little red-headed, pig-tailed girl skipped happily down to the basement, and opened the creaky, old wooden door. She stepped gingerly into the dusty room. "Now where did I leave off..." she looked around her. The basement was enormous. There were old boxes and furniture, random junk, dust and cobwebs everywhere. Olivia had been looking through this basement for a voice that had been calling to her. Here it was again! "Hey can you hear me?" It was a cute, very soft yet dry voice. "I called out your name." Olivia tried to listen to the soft voice and pinpoint its location. It seemed to be coming from the very back of the room. "Where are you from?" Olivia let the voice lead her aimlessly around the room. "What is it that's brought you here?" She seemed to be getting closer. "Why won't you answer me?" the ghost-like whisper came again. "I swear to play nice." Olivia thought she heard it from behind a bookshelf. She tried to move it, but her small stature made it impossible. "Isn't this fun?" The redhead looked around for something she could use for leverage. "This game of hide-and-seek." She spotted a long metal pipe and a copper bowl. Placing the bowl against the wall and holding it steady with one hand, she wedged the rod between the bowl and the bookshelf. She pushed with all the strength she could muster...THUD! The bookshelf fell over. "Oops, I hope that wasn't important and, more importantly, I hope Mama didn't hear." Olivia turned her attention from the bookshelf to a mirror where the bookshelf just stood. She looked inquisitively at it. "I only wanted to hear your voice..." the sad-sounding voice could be heard much clearer now. Olivia pushed the mirror to the side and sat in awe of what was behind it. A small hole in the wall was visible now and, when Olivia peered through it, what was behind it amazed her even more. On a red velvet chair sat a girl that looked oddly like Olivia herself. There were differences, however. Whilst Olivia had red hair, this girl's hair was a bleached blonde. Instead of paralyzing blue eyes, the beautiful figure in front of her had soft, emerald green eyes. Olivia just stared in amazement before the girl spoke again. This time, however, Olivia noticed

she'd been singing the entire time, not speaking. "_**Skin that's warm, eyes that cry...I only wanted to see your smile...Feel your touch, it's been a while...**_" Olivia wondered who she was singing to. Who was the beautiful girl down here? How has she survived? Where did she come from? A thousand questions rolled through Olivia's head as she stared intently through the hole. "_**La, la la. La, la la,**_" Olivia noticed now that the girl wasn't breathing and only her lips moved when she sang. "_**Long, long ago, I was a girl much like you**_." _Like me?_ Olivia wondered. "_**Father loved me**_." the girl wasn't blinking, it was as if...as if she was dead. "_**Kept me safe and beautiful. Oh, how I'd love... to dance around just once more**_." Olivia was about to speak, but stopped when the girl continued. "_**But these cold legs, don't move anymore.**_" Her last sentence had an air of finish, as if that was the end of her sortie.

Olivia thought about the girl for a moment before something clicked in her head. That wasn't a girl! That was a doll! Olivia quietly turned around and replaced the mirror then slumped by the wall in the unladylike way that she always got scolded for. She thought for a moment. 'Whatever would someone put a doll down here for? And how does she sing? Is she singing to me?' Olivia decided to go back upstairs for lunch before Mama could come get her. This would be her secret, she smiled to herself. No one else, not even Mama or Papa would know. And she would come back later after her chores were finished. Maybe she could talk to the doll. Or find a way to reach her. There had to be some way into that room, after all. One can't put a doll in a room without an entrance. These thoughts went through her mind as she walked up the stairs, ducking and dodging behind furniture so her Mama wouldn't see her dust-caked dress.

Olivia was in riding with her Papa in his red convertible, driving to school. Olivia wasn't in a very good mood, but no one knew that. She was an expert at concealing things. All yesterday she was too busy doing chores to go and visit the doll in the basement. "We're here. Have a good day, honey." her Papa patted her on the head. "Okay! You have a good day at work too!" Olivia leaned over to hug her chauffeur, then quickly got out of the car. "Let's hurry and get this over with." she grumbled. "Olivia! Ciao! What's got you down today?" came an overly-happy Italian accented voice. "Hi Flavi! I'd tell you, but if I did, the entire school would know about it!" Olivia matched Flavio's happy tone. "Aww, no fair." The Italian put on his best hurt face. "Let's get to class, Xiao and Ming Yue wanted to talk with you." "With me? I wonder why." The icy blue-eyed girl pondered.

The two friends parted in the hallway, as their homeroom classes were different. Olivia walked in to her class, quickly spotting Xiao and Ming Yue who, for convenience's sake, were nicknamed Zizi and Miya by Olivia herself. She made a quick stop at her desk in the back of the class to deposit her bag, then went over by her friends. "Hi Zizi, Hi Miya! I was informed you called on me?" Xiao rolled his eyes, replying "Stop calling me Zizi, and stop talking so damn formally -aru." Ming Yue glared at Olivia, but said nothing. "We wanted to talk to you about something strange that went down in our dad's basement yesterda-" "Wait," Olivia stopped him. Her voice was a low whisper now "Does this have anything to do with dolls?" Both Xiao and Ming Yue looked surprised. Ming Yue replied "Yeah, it does, but how'd you know?" The teacher then stepped into the room. "Alright class, everyone take your seats," she said very business-like. Olivia whispered to the others. "Listen, during lunch, I'll meet you behind the gym." The two Asians nodded.

~-Behind the Gym-~

Olivia rounded the corner of the gym building in a quick run, finding the Asians were already there. "Took you long enough." Xiao said. "Sorry, class ran a little late." Olivia replied, slightly out of breath. Xiao quickly got to the point. "Like I said earlier last night we were in our Die's basement, and we found a sort of secret passage in the very back -aru." The two girls were now sitting on a blanket, preparing the boxed lunches they each brought while Xiao explained. "It was a large wooden door and when we opened it, there was a large, spacious room with two chairs next to each other, facing away from each other." Xiao sat down and took his lunch box from Ming Yue. "On them sat two dolls, who we thought were people at first, one of them was a girl and the other was a male." Xiao started munching on his lunch in between speaking. "We had to leave when Dad called us, but how we found them was the interesting part -aru." Olivia broke into the story, "I LOVE how you don't explain stories in chronological order." she said sarcastically. "Oh shut up and listen." Ming Yue snapped. Xiao cut in between them. "Can we all stop arguing and just listen -aru? Anyways, there were voices that we followed and whe-" Olivia interrupted again. "Were they singing?" "I was just about to tell you that..." the male grumbled. Olivia sat thinking for a moment, awakened from her thoughts by Ming Yue. "So why do you know about all this, Olivia?" "Oh yeah, I was wondering that too." Xiao chimed in. Olivia responded sounding not very surprised. "It happened to me too..Well, not in the exact same way but it was similar. One major difference is I can only see my doll from a hole in a wall. I can't seem to reach her." Ming Yue responded, "Maybe she doesn't want to see your ugly face." Olivia stuck her tongue out and said in a childish way, "You wish, Miya!" Xiao got back on topic before the two girls could get into an argument. "Olivia, you should come to our house and see the dolls, then we can see yours tomorrow." "Alright, guess I don't have a choice." The three teens didn't notice their conversation being listened in on. A white-hooded figure slipped away from earshot Even though her face was mostly covered, one could tell she had many scars. She wore a school uniform that looked just like Olivia's, apart from being differently colored. Her skirt had a long rip up the side that was poorly stitched back together. "So I'm not the only one..." her soft, yet pain-filled voice sounded.

~-In Xiao and Ming Yue's basement-~

"Back here," the taller of the group said in a low whisper. Olivia had found out that they were not allowed in the basement, and would be grounded if found out. The trio of friends made their way around many dusty boxes. Olivia noted how their basement looked a lot like hers, apart from being smaller. They reached a wooden door set behind some boxes. Xiao moved them without much effort. Ming Yue opened the door and all three peered inside. The room was exactly how Xiao had described it. The two dolls in the middle of the room looked exactly how the doll in Olivia's basement was. The male was a bit shorter than Xiao and had messy, black hair, crimson red eyes, along with a red shirt with sleeves much too big, black pants, and black slip-on shoes. The female sitting behind him had beautiful blonde hair that was a bit darker than Olivia's doll's, and dull, ruby-red eyes. She was clad in a long-sleeved black dress with red flowers trailing down the front, a matching black cap and, along with her fluffy collar, mahogany boots, and black gloves, looked dressed for a voyage through Antarctica.

Olivia stared in amazement. "They're just like the doll in my house!" her voice was still quiet, but had a very strong hint of excitement. Xiao glanced around them then ushered the two girls into the room. He wedged a piece of wood on either side of the door as to not get locked out or have the door swing open suddenly. Ming Yue went over to the male doll and stared at him while Xiao walked over to the female. Olivia just watched them both. Not taking her eyes off the doll in front of her, Ming Yue addressed Olivia, "They sang before we found them, but since then we can't get them to react no matter what. Almost as if it was a dream." Xiao responded, "But it wasn't, I know it wasn't." Olivia walked over by Xiao and the female doll, then carefully touched her face, but pulled back quickly, as one would do after burning oneself on a hot pan, with a look of surprise on her face. Xiao looked at her questioningly, "What?" "She...she feels so real..." Olivia stroked her hair and felt her clothes. "It's as if she's real..." she mused to herself. Xiao glanced at the doll, then looked back at the girl next to him. "Yours isn't like this?" "I already told you, I can't reach her, there are no openings to her room." Olivia replied, still admiring the doll. Ming Yue said "Alright, we need to get going." "Let's go to the library!" Olivia said suddenly. "SHHHHHH!" both Asians quieted her. "Sorry!" Olivia said quietly. "Now why do you want to go to the library -aru?" Xiao asked while exiting the room and closing the door behind them. "Because," Olivia started, "We might find something about our dolls there."

"I give UP -aru!" Xiao said in an exasperated sigh. "SHHHHH!" came the voices of a few other people in the library. Xiao covered his mouth and mumbled something about uptight smart people. "We can't find anything even _relating_ to our dolls." Olivia sighed. Ming Yue whispered to the others "We have to go home, but we'll meet at your house tomorrow, Olivia." "Sure! After school, we'll meet at the gates. Mama is coming to pick me up." "Right," the others agreed.

"Honey, I have something to give you," Olivia's mother told her. "Yes, Mama?" Olivia looked inquisitively at her mother. Olivia was sitting in her family's foyer, a book in her hands. The room looked much like the entryway, apart from the grandeur of this room in comparison. There were tapestries and doilies, teddy bears and dolls and the room looked very much like a fancy dollhouse room. "This is a very old music box," the taller woman began "Your many greats-great-grandfather built it himself. At that time a music box this detailed was extremely rare, in fact, it was the only music box that played this well." she started winding the box. "It's been passed down from each of our family members, and now it's your turn to have it. Take very good care of it." After finishing her explanation she handed the fully winded box to Olivia, who sat down her book, as it started playing. It was a soft, sad melody that struck Olivia as familiar. She stared at the beautiful white porcelain box with hand-painted flowers decorating the entire box. Then she remembered where she had heard this before. It was the same tune as her doll's song! "Thank you Mama!" Olivia hugged her mother, carefully holding the box, then rushed to her room. "No running in the house!" her mother scolded her, "Especially with easily-broken objects!" "Sorry!" she called back.

Olivia wound the box again and listened to the tune, trying to remember the words to the doll's song. She was now sitting in her room, which looked nothing like the rest of her house. The walls were painted a light pink with thick, baby blue stripes. Her bed had bed covers of every color in a rainbow, while her drawers and furniture were mostly white and cream. The curtains that were currently pulled away from the windows were a baby blue, matching the color of her walls, with bright pink polka dots. She started singing the parts she remembered from the doll's song. "_**Hey can you hear me? I called out your name. Where are you from? What is it that's brought you here?**_" the words flowed out of Olivia's mouth as is she'd known them her entire life. "_**Why won't you answer me? I swear to play nice! Isn't this fun? This game of hide-and-seek**_" She was now closing her eyes while singing, imagining the doll in her basement, all alone in that dusty, bare room. "_**I only wanted to hear your voice. Skin that's warm. Eyes that cry. I only wanted to see your smile. Feel your touch, it's been a while.**_" She paused. "_**Long, long ago, I was a girl much like you. Father loved me. Kept me safe and beautiful. Oh how I'd love, to dance around just once more, and these cold legs...can move once again...**_" The last note hung in the air, almost ominously, then the music stopped. It was a perfect match! But there was something off. The words she sung in the last line were not the same as what the doll sang. Yet they sounded like they belonged there.

She pondered this a moment, then carefully wrapped the box in one of her shawls hanging on a peg on the wall. She went downstairs to her basement, carefully climbing down the stairs. Moving gracefully to the back of the room, she set the music box down and pushed the mirror to the side. "Alright," she peered through the hole. The doll was just how she was before! Olivia quickly wound the box, and sat it in her lap, letting it play, but not singing. At the end of the song, nothing happened. "This time I'll try singing." Olivia said to no one in particular. She re-wound the box yet again, this time singing the dolls song, without the altered lyrics from earlier. She watched the doll as she sang, but nothing happened. As she finished that last line something happened! "_**...but these cold legs... don't move...anymore.**_" The doll moved her mouth! She seemed to be trying to say something. Olivia held her breath and put her ear against the hole, straining to listen. "...liss...Ah...liss" Olivia knew the doll was speaking but couldn't quite make anything out. "A...lice..." _Alice?_ Olivia thought to herself. _Who is Alice? Is that the doll's name?_ Olivia called out the doll's name "Alice, is that your name? Can you hear me?" The doll was once again seemingly lifeless. Olivia was disappointed, yet had made good progress, she thought. She wrapped the box back up in her shawl and set for upstairs. She would tell Zizi and Miya tomorrow about what she found out!

"Well Zerair? Let's hear your report." a heavy monotone voice boomed out. Three cloaked men were seated around a large table, high above another cloaked figure kneeling in their direction. "Yes, Milord. None of the Soru to Ningyo have _fully_ awakened yet. Six have been found. Only one Soul Box has been obtained. None of the Soul Keys have been found. The plan is proceeding as you wished." "Excellent heeheeheehee" came a much more wispy, cat-like voice than the first. "What did you mean by not _fully_ awakened yet, Zerair?" came the third man's voice, a rather musical, light voice. "Milord, one of them has been communicated with, but not awakened yet. She has reacted to her Shoyu-sha, but is not activated." "Interesting," came the first gruff voice. "Zerair, send out your subordinates to watch the other Ningyo. I want you to personally watch the one you just described. What is her name?" The kneeling figure stated, "The Ningyo's name is Alice, her Shoyu-sha is named Olivia Jones." "Keep a very close eye on her, Zerair. This should be interesting." the lighter voice said with an air of finale. "As you command, Milords." The man beneath the others disappeared in a flash.

**_Remember! Reviews make for a happy author with motivation for a new chapter! Critique, motivation, compliments, flames, or just "good job, bro" are all wonderful to hear! ^_^_**


	3. Comin' Home From America!

Note:

Alfred=1p!America

Luciana=2p!Fem!Italy

Peter=1p!Sealand

Antonio=1p!Spain

Lovina=1p!Fem!Romano

ソルと人形

Soru to Ningyo

Chapter 2 Comin' Home From America!

"I haven't been home in ages!" came a young, happy voice from the outside of the airport. The one who had just spoken was a young man, looking to be about sixteen of age, with short, messy, dirty-blonde hair. His eyes were a water-like blue with a sparkle of adventure in them. He was wearing blue jeans and a simple, red T-shirt. Behind him he toted an enormous suitcase that was tied to another suitcase, that was tied to _another_ suitcase that was tied to even _another_ suitcase! There were many passerby who stared at him and giggled, a small child even pointing to show his mother. "I can't wait to see how big Olivia and Peter have gotten! Won't they all be surprised!" he smiled at the thought. "Okay! Let's get moving!" He started towing his suitcase train through the parking lot, over to the bus station.

–

It was lunch break and Olivia, Xiao, and Ming Yue were sitting on the roof enjoying the cool breezes while eating lunch. "You remember how I said I couldn't get my doll to react to me?" Olivia's voice broke the silence. "Yeah." her two other friends jinxed, tossing a glance at each other before looking back towards Olivia. "Well, I got her to react last night ,even tell me what I think is her name." the red-head took another bite out of her scone she was working on. "What!?" the two Asians jinxed again. "Stop copying me!" came the third jinx. Complete silence reigned. "Mama gave me a music box," Olivia began her retelling of last night's events. "I took it down to the basement where the hole in the wall is that leads to the doll's room." Xiao and Ming Yue listened intently. "I played it while singing her song. I only got her to say something that sounded like 'Alice'. I think that's her name." "Really?" Ming Yue asked excitedly. Xiao had a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. "I wonder if that would work for our dolls too!" he exclaimed. "Maybe," Olivia replied, thinking for a moment. "I think what my doll sang and the actual song are different," she mused. "How would you know if all you have is a music box?" Ming Yue inquired. "I don't know it's...it's just one of those gut feelings... I think the last line is supposed to be different." Xiao cut in, "After we see your doll today, you have to bring the box over to our house and see if we can learn anything about our dolls!" he said enthusiastically. "Alright, I will, just calm down." Olivia tried to calm the happy Asian.

–

Olivia, Ming Yue, and Xiao all sat in front of the female doll in the latter two's basement. "Ready?" Olivia asked, the box in her hand. "Yeah, just hurry-aru!" "Okay, here goes nothing." The pig-tailed girl started winding the box, singing the song along with the music. Nothing happened. "Did you do something wrong?" Xiao asked in a harsh whisper. Olivia stared at the box in her lap. "That's exactly what I did with Alice, I don't understand it." "Don't understand what?" the fourth voice in the dimly lit room scared the first three. "Fl-Flavio!?" Olivia stared at him with a shocked look on her face. Indeed, Flavio was leaning against the door frame, smiling at the trio. "Ah, so this is where another two of them are." the blonde started walking towards the dolls and the group of friends. Ming Yue stepped in front of him, giving him a harsh glare. "You know something we don't, isn't that right, Flavio?" she snapped. "Maybe," He responded in a sing-song voice, irritating the short female. Flavio stepped past the Asian girl, admiring the dolls. "You three should come over to my house." He said, not taking his eyes off the dolls. "Take the box." he gestured to Olivia. "Very well." she said. "Wait! We're just going to follow him just like that!?" Xiao nearly shouted. "SHHHHH!" The two females shushed him. "Sorry..." he mumbled. Flavio stepped out the door, keeping it open for the others. "And yes, we are. He knows something that we don't and, if we don't follow him, we may never know." Olivia whispered to the Asians, out of range of Flavio's hearing. "Fine. But I don't have to like it." Xiao retorted, sneering at Flavio as said Italian just smiled and waved. "Andiamo, everyone!" "I am questioning how he got in our house-aru." Ming Yue commented.

–

"Here we are!" the Italian's voice almost sang as they rounded the last corner to his house. The other three with him stood at the gates shocked. The house was more like a _mansion_ than anything. It was three stories high with a huge yard bordered with carnations and lilies, while tomato plants were practically _everywhere_ else. "WOW!" Olivia exclaimed, taking in all her surroundings. The other two were at a loss for words. "Come on in!" Flavio led them through the giant iron gates to the wide double door and opened it with his key. The inside looked fairly normal compared to the outside, yet it was an upper class sort of normal. "Mama, Papa, I'm ho~ome!" "Welcome home, Flavio!" a Spanish-accented voice replied. "I brought some friends!" Flavio shouted back. A young woman came in from the right side of the hall and, judging from her apron she wore, Olivia assumed the kitchen was that direction. She had full, wavy, dark chocolate brown hair that fell below her shoulders and beautiful light olive-green eyes. She wore the aforementioned apron over a cream-colored short sleeved shirt and a tight, flattering tan pencil skirt. "I've told you before! No shouting in the house." she scolded Flavio. Olivia noticed she had an Italian accent just like Flavio did.

"That goes for you too, Antonio!" she called up to the balcony where there sat a tan Spaniard, grinning down at them. "Si mi querido!" he called down, quieter than before. His hair color matched his wife's, yet a bit darker; his hair was messy and fluffy, his bangs hanging over his shining, forest green eyes. He had a casual, long-sleeved white shirt over a baggy pair of black pants. "Mama, Papa, these are some of my friends from school!" Flavio gestured towards Olivia first. "This is Olivia Jones, I've told you about her before. Olivia, this is my mama, Lovina Carriedo, the prettiest woman I have ever laid eyes on." Lovina just looked away and huffed, pretending not to care. "Nice to meet you Olivia." She looked back towards her and held her hand out. "Oh! Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Carriedo!" Olivia replied, taking her hand. By this time, the Spaniard had walked down the stairs and towards the group. "This is my papa, Antonio Carriedo." Antonio made a fake pouting face at his son. "No compliments for your papa?" Flavio bowed deeply before him. "Not unless you wish to be noted as prettier than Mama." The others in the room giggled. "This is Xiao Wang and this cutie is Ming Yue Tai." he gestured to each of them respectively, winking at Ming Yue and receiving a glare in return. "They'll be staying for awhile, is that okay?" he asked for his parent's approval. "I have no problem with it." Antonio said, looking towards his wife for her opinion. "Fine, just don't make a mess." she started back towards the kitchen. "Grazie! Okay, this way!" Flavio ushered the other three up the stairs, down a hall, and into the last room on the right. He shut the door and locked it behind them. "Now let me show you..." the blonde Italian muttered while opening what seemed to be a rather large closet.

The others watched closely as he went in to the _very _deep closet. He gestured for them to come closer and, when they did, they were shocked. "You kidnapped someone!?" Xiao exclaimed. "No! She's a doll, like yours!" Flavio was quick to defend himself. "Anyone could see that" Ming Yue rolled her eyes. Flavio carefully removed the covers from the girl then picked her up bridal-style, carrying her over to and setting her on his bed. She had chestnut-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and a soft, gentle face. She was wearing a tightly-fit militaristic looking uniform with a short-cut pencil skirt and a low-cut collar. The girl was wearing knee-high black boots with a knife strapped to the side of the right boot. Flavio smirked as he went over to a table in the corner and came back with a box looking like Olivia's. "That looks just like my music box!" Olivia cried, surprised at how they looked so similar. "It plays the same tune, too." the taller man responded. He started winding it, then let it play, making a 'shh' motion with his hand. He started singing a song that Olivia thought was almost like hers, but not quite the same. His voice flowed through the room like honey, the words ringing loud and clear. "Hey can you hear me? I called out your name. Where are you from? What is it that's brought you here? Why won't you answer me? Don't make me play rough! Isn't this fun? This game of della cita." Olivia now knew these weren't the same lyrics, even if they were close. Was this a coincidence? Probably not. "I only wanted to hear your voice. Skin that's warm. Eyes that cry. I only wanted to see your smile. Feel your touch, it's been a while. Long, long ago, I was alive much like you. We loved one another, our love was immovable. Oh how I'd love, to dance around just once more, as for this song...remember it awhile."

Before anyone could register what happened, the doll was up on her feet and had slapped Flavio across the face! Her violet-red eyes burning with fury, she went over to him, picking him up by the collar and yelling at him "Why did you leave me!? I told you I _hate_ being alone!" her Italian accent showed through true and clear, matching Flavio's perfectly. Tears were welling up at the corners of her eyes as she slumped to the floor sobbing. The other three stood there stunned. "Wow...That...was amazing-aru..." Xiao managed to break the silence. "She has serious abandonment issues." Flavio explained. Apparently, this was not the first time he encountered her outburst. He knelt down by her and she automatically clung onto him as if her life depended on it. No one said anything until her crying had stopped. "So..." Xiao started "First question-aru. _HOW THE HELL IS SHE MOVING_?" Olivia and Ming Yue started to help bombard the Italian and the clingy girl he was holding. "Calm down, I'll explain everything I know." Flavio's usually cheerful tone was suddenly serious, practically scaring the others into silence.

After everyone was situated around the bed, facing Flavio and his doll, the blonde began his story. "First, this is Luciana." The others stared at the now calm girl. Her glare was icy-cold yet burning full of what seemed to be hatred at the same time. "She is a doll. Olivia, I assume since you have that box, you know of a doll's whereabouts?" he questioned. "Yes, there's one in my basement." she said, trying not to get too ecstatic about the whole situation. "Right. Your doll should have a song that you need to sing with that box playing for her to wake up. Ming Yue, Xiao, you two need to figure out where your boxes are hidden. Once you know the song and are in possession of the box, you can wake up your Ningyo." "Ningyo?" the trio of friends asked simultaneously. "That's what the dolls are called. We are called the Shoyu-sha of our assigned Ningyo. A Ningyo will not wake up even if the requirements are met unless he or she wishes to be woken up by the person attempting to awaken them." Flavio paused to drink some juice out of a glass his mother had brought for the children earlier. "That's what I mean by 'assigned.' Now if you have a question, raise your hand and I will call your name." "You sound like my math teacher" Xiao declared, rolling his eyes. Olivia raised her hand. "Yes, Olivia?" "What is their purpose?" Olivia asked a well thought out question. "I don't know. I only know what Luciana has told me. She's keeping some information from me, and some of it she just doesn't know." he glanced over at Luciana who was now hanging over the bed, reading one of Flavio's books she took without asking, all the while accidentally giving Flavio a pantie-shot accompanied by a smirk.

"How many Ninjos or whatever are there?" Xiao asked the second question. Flavio answered a bit unclearly with "Five _originals,_ at least." "Originals?" Ming Yue asked. "As in the first created. Luciana doesn't know if there were any more created after she fell asleep." "Asleep?" the three sang out in union for the second time this evening. "Ah, yes that's when they go into a state of suspended-animation almost. Basically, your Ningyo are considered 'asleep' right now. Mine is 'awake' but I can put her to sleep with a tweak of the last line of her song." He smirked as she jerked up on the bed glaring directly at him. "You wouldn't dare." "Wouldn't I?" He grinned at her. "Do your parents know about her?" Ming Yue though she better ask, since no one's parents seemed to know about this. "No, but I am going to tell them tomorrow." "Why tomorrow-aru?" Xiao inquired. "Because if I have to explain it, I might get to miss school!"

–

It was Wednesday, and Olivia was near the end of her walk home from school. Ming Yue, Xiao, and Olivia herself were going to meet up at Flavio's place again today. He had a few 'ideas' he had told them about at lunch break. "I'm home." Olivia called when she opened the door. "Welcome home!" a young voice called from up the stairs, followed by a rambunctious young boy with blond hair and sea-blue eyes. "Where are Mama and Papa, Peter?" Olivia asked her little brother. "Well...you see..."

–

"Ahahahaha, thanks for coming to pick me up, I haven't been here in so long, I had forgotten which roads were which!" the blonde from earlier at the airport was sitting in the back seat of a red Ford pick-up truck, with Olivia's mama and papa in the front. "Well, if you tell us _ahead_ of time, we would have been able to come pick you up _at_ the airport, Alfred." "But Dad, it was meant to be a surprise!" Alfred pouted. "Well it certainly was!" his mother replied, happy that her son had returned from overseas, yet exasperated that he had not though anything out past actually _getting_ here.

–

"Wait..." Olivia said, after Peter had explained. "Alfred's coming back today!? Like, right now!?"

Sorry I haven't updated for a couple days Q_Q been busy with school and real life stuff.

Yes, I have a real life o_o

Olivia: Lies!

Me: Truths! Anyways, longer chapter this time. Remember, reviews are what keep any story alive! Keep the stories alive! Not just mine, but any you like reading! Even if you post as anon. I'll have chapter 3 up within the next couple days hopefully. Bye all~


	4. Plans

ソルと人形

Soru to Ningyo

Chapter 3 Plans

Olivia was in a complete panic about her older brother, Alfred. No fair warning, and then of course, there's the issue with a certain _doll_ in their basement. "Listen Peter, I have something to do. It's urgent and I won't be back for awhile. Tell Mama, Papa, and Alfred that, but don't let them know I knew about Alfred coming home, alright?" "But why?" her younger borther inquired. "I can't explain that right now! Can you do that for me?" she pleaded with Peter. "Ok, sure, I don't mind" he agreed, still wanting to know what happened that could be so important."Thank you so much, Peter!" she kissed him on the cheek, grabbed her school bag, then ran out the door, setting off for Flavio's house. She whipped out her phone, slowing her pace a little. Quickly, she went through her list of numbers and found Flavio's, hitting the "call" button. He answered the phone. "Hey Flavi, I need you to get the others to your house _now._ It's important." He could tell she was in a rush, and very worried about something. "I'll call them over right now, honey, just please don't hurt yourself." _I have more important things to worry about right now, s_he thought to herself. "Thanks Flavi, I'll be right over." She put away her phone, and picked up her pace a little more.

–

_Ding dong._ Olivia was waiting patiently at Flavio's door. When it opened, it was not Flavio who she saw, but his Mama instead. "Hello Mrs. Carriedo. I'm here to see Flavio." She nodded, allowing Olivia in. "He's upstairs in his room. Tell me if you two need anything." she smiled sweetly. "Yes, ma'am!" The red-head bounced up the stairs. _So she's in the same situation as Flavio..._Lovina thought to herself, wondering what in the world those kids had gotten themselves into. Olivia headed to the room she knew was Flavio's from her last visit. _Knock, knock, knock_. The door opened, revealing the blonde Italian looking a bit distraught, most likely due to being firmly held onto by Luciana, who was hugging him like a koala. "Did I...interrupt something?" Olivia giggled at the other two. "As a matter of fact you did." Luciana smirked at her. "No, you're fine Olivia..." Flavio reassured her, at this point in time not realizing that was meant to be a tease.

"So what was so urgent?" he asked the shorter girl, leading her inside his room. "Well...my brother is coming home from America..." she started. "That's great! You couldn't have told me over the phone, though?" He asked while trying to pry an unwilling Luciana off of him. "I could've but...that's not the complete problem...He is a bit...let's say _curious_ and I just know I won't be able to keep Alice hidden from him for anymore than a few days. I have no clue how he'd react, I haven't even told my parents! What if he finds her and tells Mama and Papa, and they want to get rid of her!? What if he does something to hurt her!?" she started spouting questions and nearly crying. "_Olivia!_ Get a hold of yourself!" Flavio commanded. She stopped and tried her best to hold back her tears. "Okay, good girl. Do you trust your parents?" She nodded. "Do you trust your brother?" "Yes..." "Then there won't be a problem, right?" "But...!" she began again. Flavio held up his hand to silence her. "If you won't trust your family with this matter, there is no way that _one_ they will be able to trust _you_ with it and _two,_ Alice will be able to trust you." he instructed, very sage-like. Olivia looked down while thinking about what she was just told. "You're right, I'm sorry. I got carried away. I'll tell all of them about Alice, because I do trust them and love them." "Good girl." he complemented, patting her on the head and earning a pout from Luciana.

"No fair!" the taller girl whined. The other girl then asked "Is she always this...needy?" "Unfortunately for me, yes." the Italian began petting his doll, as she snuggled up against his side. "Now that we have that cleared up, I hope the other two won't be mad at me for calling them over." Flavio sighed. Olivia gasped, "That's right! Oh well, I can just tell Miya and Zizi that I wanted to hurry up so I could go see my brother." she giggled. _Knock, knock, knock._ "Well! Speak of the devil!" Flavio exclaimed as he _attempted_ to get to his door. Olivia giggled at the fact Luciana was apparently much stronger than Flavio, as proven by him not being allowed to his door. "I'll get it!" the red-head skipped over to the door. She opened the door, allowing two [only slightly] worried friends in. "Alright, what's the big idea-aru?" Xiao asked, a displeased look apparent on his face. "Oh, ah...I just needed you over here so we could get this done before my brother gets home!" Olivia covered up with an excuse fairly well, Flavio thought. "You called us over here just for _that!?_" Ming Yue asked, exasperation imminent on her face. Olivia looked very "sorry". "Eheh." she giggled. As the Italian began to speak, all attention turned on him. "Now that we're all here, let's begin, shall we?"

Everyone began taking seats around the room. "First, I think we should do something to help other 'shoyus' find us." Xiao cut in, something he did way too often. "How do you expect us to do that? We can't just go tell the world. 'Hey! We've got dolls that are alive! Do you?'" Olivia nudged him in the side. "Quiet, and listen." she said. "I already thought of how to do this. We will make a club at our school; None of you are in clubs, correct?" Everyone nodded. "Good. We will name it 'The Ningyo Club'. Normally, people will think it's the 'Doll Club', as Ningyo is Doll in Japanese. However, 'doll' in Japanese is usually written differently, although the pronunciations are the same. It's a long shot, but if other shoyus find this, It'll be our ticket to some answers, if all goes well." Xiao was, predictably, the first to bring up an issue. "I don't want to be in a 'doll club'! That's for girls!" Flavio, predictably, already had a solution to that. "I'll get you whatever you want at lunch for as long as you're in this club. On top of that, if you're not in the club, you don't get any information on how to wake up your Ningyo." Xiao said quickly, "Deal," before Flavio could make any 'extra' rules. "Now that that's settled, let's get down to the details. First, we need five members to start a club, not just four. We need to find a fifth member, and that will be hard not knowing where another shoyu is." "I'll find one!" Olivia suddenly blurted out. "It shouldn't be too hard, right?" "Well, I guess not but...everyone should keep an eye out." Flavio suggested. "Right." everyone agreed.

–

Olivia was at her doorstep, it was a fairly short trip home, since Mr. Carriedo drove her. "Thank you for the ride, Mr. Carriedo!" she waved to the man in the car. "Anytime!" he smiled and waved back. She took a deep breath, then unlocked and opened the door. "I'm ho-" Before she could finish her sentence, who should come bounding to her from the other room, shouting "WELCOME BACK, SIS!" but Alfred. He hugged her in a big bear hug, refusing to let go until she said "ALFRED! I...can't...breathe!" "Ah, sorry." He smiled apologetically. "I heard you had something to do! I was so sad when I found you weren't home!" He complained, that same goofy grin that Olivia remembered from years ago plastered on his face. She smiled lovingly up at him, honestly happy the silly goofball was back. "Welcome back, Alfred!" She hugged him back this time.

–

Dinner was full of chatter and smiles that night, everyone talking about what had been going on. Olivia had been unusually quiet that night, however...

"Olivia, honey are you okay? You've been a bit quiet." Olivia's mother inquired worriedly. "Oh yeah, I'm fine!" she replied with a smile, hiding everything she kept secret from before. "I just..." she looked down at her lap, fiddling with her napkin. "I have something I want to tell you...All of you." The others looked very curiously at her. She continued "What I'm about to tell you is very hard to believe, but I can prove it's true." The red-head's parents were looking a bit worried, seeing as how in the past she had "seen" things that weren't really there; Fairies, unicorns, "Flying Chocolate Bunnies", and the like. "In the basement there is an old doll and she's alive. Well not alive, but she will be once I figure out how to use the box that Mama gave me. The music box! You remember, right Mama?" Her mother shook her head, not looking surprised in the least. "Somehow, I'm supposed to use that box-" "To wake up the doll right!?" Alfred blurted out, standing up out of his chair and looking very, _very_ excited. "Oh..yes." Olivia confirmed.

The looks on her family's faces were not what she expected. Her mother was looking at her calmly, but as if she had something to say. Her father was still eating his meal like nothing happened. As just described, Alfred was overly-enthusiastic about the whole ordeal and lastly Peter was...amazed. Olivia's mother began to speak, "Honey, first we said not to go in the basement." "But-" She was stopped by her mother holding up her hand. "Second, your father and I already knew about this. This is why I gave you the box. The doll is yours and even though I do not like what comes with owning one of those 'Ningyo', you were destined to have her, I can't stop you." Olivia stared at her mother dumbfounded. Alfred, having suddenly forgotten about his dinner, gave his best puppy-dog face towards Olivia "Can I see her?" "_May_ I see her." his mother corrected" "May I see her!?" he asked again. "Oh...okay..." Olivia was still trying to figure out what happened.

–

Down in the basement, Alfred wandered around picking up things and examining them as the trio trudged past all the boxes (Peter decided to tag along). "Okay, here." Olivia instructed as she leaned down to push the mirror out of the way, Alfred and Peter were waiting impatiently behind her. The red-head gestured the other two to come forward to the small peephole. "What, there's no door?" Alfred asked. "Not that I know of," came Olivia's fast reply. "Hmmm..." Alfred moved to the side and ran his hands along the wall while Peter looked through the peephole "Woah..." the younger boy exclaimed, admiring the realism of the doll. _THUD_ "Alfred what did you do!?" Olivia glanced around for her older brother worriedly. "Ow..." came his reply from the...The other side of the wall? "Where are you?" Olivia demanded. Alfred emerged from the wall smirking, using a cleverly-concealed rotating door. "Oh!" his sister exclaimed. "Come on!" He grabbed his two siblings' wrists and led them through the door. After a quick walk down a hallway, with a few turns in total darkness, they came into a small room, the seemingly lifeless form of Alice the centerpiece of the pristine, yet gloomy abode.

"Wow..." Alfred was stunned beyond speech. Olivia was very excited and quickly brought the music box out from its wrappings. "So that's the box?" Alfred carefully looked over it, observing the intricate details. "I think there's something wrong with it though." the girl sat down and began winding the box. "Like what?" Peter asked her. "I'm not sure, but when I sing her song, she won't wake up..." she continued winding the box. "Maybe she just doesn't like your voice!" the older boy teased her, grinning. "That was rude!" Olivia retorted. The small box clicked, showing it was wound completely. "Alright her I go." the young girl took a deep breath in before releasing the handle on the box and beginning to sing. "_**Hey can you hear me? I called out your name. Where are you from? What is it that's brought you here?**_

_**Why won't you answer me? I swear to play nice! Isn't this fun? This game of hide-and-seek**_" Peter and Alfred stood with bated breath, eyes trained on Alice. "_**I only wanted to hear your voice. Skin that's warm. Eyes that cry. I only wanted to see your smile. Feel your touch, it's been a while.**_" The eerie pause hung in the air momentarily before broken again by the music. "_**Long, long ago, I was alive much like you. Father loved me. Kept me safe and beautiful. Oh how I'd love, to dance around just once more, and these cold legs...can move...once again...**_" Olivia just sang the mis-matched lyrics again. Not even realizing she had done so before it happened, she quickly started to say, "Let me try again! Those were the wrong lyrics." Neither of her brothers said anything, simply standing with mouths wide open. Olivia followed their gaze to Alice, who much to Olivia's surprise, was now standing, watching them.

Alice's crystal-clear yet beautifully strong voice resounded, "Who...are _you_?"


End file.
